The ratio of doughnuts to students was deliciously disproportionate Monday afternoon as Abby Fremouw's third graders applied fractions and mathematics to baking.

"Once kids realize there's so much math in their daily lives, they start to be more invested in it," the Sorensen Magnet School of the Arts and Humanities teacher said. "This was my culminating project as we just finished fractions."

A lot of kids have already had some exposure to baking and cooking, Fremouw said.

Using measuring cups and spoons as they follow recipes gives them a visual understanding of fractions and brings the lessons from textbooks and worksheets to life.

"This is real world," Fremouw said. "They're starting to understand a lot more and now they're coming up with their own creations using fractions."

This opportunity was made possible by a $904 grant Fremouw received from the EXCEL Foundation, a nonprofit that provides funding to teachers for innovative classroom projects.

“The EXCEL Foundation was created in 1986 by amazing parents and businesses that wanted kids to think outside the box and experience hands-on education that the district doesn’t fund," EXCEL Board President Tracy Weimer-Shull said.

The EXCEL Foundation is a local, community-based organization composed of more than 30 volunteers from a wide range of professions and businesses who devote their time to providing meaningful grant opportunities for the Coeur d'Alene School District.

During the "Counting on Curiosity: Hands-On Math for Real-World Thinking" lesson, students wore plastic gloves, colorful chef hats and aprons. At the same time, they measured ingredients and mocked up designs for their culinary creations.

"This would be an example of taking standard math and turning it into a hands-on, real-life experience that shows kids how it applies to the real world,” Weimer-Shull said.

Third-grader Locke Harness wore a white chef's hat and apron as he and his classmates worked to scrape batter from a bowl into a piping bag.

"This is probably the best grant we've ever had," Locke said.

Evening Shields said she thought the lesson was amazing.

"We get to make our own thing and do it how we want," she said, adding that she's rather fond of a good Cocoa Pebbles doughnut.

Parent volunteers assisted with piping batter into mini doughnut makers and setting timers. They prompted the student chefs to use toothpicks to check their baked goods for doneness.

"It's amazing just to see each of them be involved, be able to measure and see the measurements next to the fractions," mom Penelope Bartlett said. "It's just a good way to learn."

    From left, Arthur Aschenbrener, his grandma Sally Dodge and classmates Dessa Rumsey and Locke Harness scrape batter into a piping bag Monday in Abby Fremouw's third-grade class.
  

    Quinn Widmyer, left, and Ruby Garbrecht have a little chef chat on Monday between baking and topping doughnuts as part of a math lesson at Sorensen Magnet School.